Miguel BoyayanA conventional light beam has a system of amplification with mirrorsMiguel Boyayan
A new type of laser that instead of mirrors uses gas as an optical magnifier was created by Professor Philippe Wilhelm Courteille, from the São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC) at the University of São Paulo (USP), in partnership with researchers from Tübingen University in Germany. The laser was obtained from rubidium gas, which when imprisoned inside an optical network, formed a photonic crystal. The common laser comprises light amplifiers and sets of mirrors that throw the light from one side to another in a continuous feedback process. A beam of light is formed spontaneously if the feedback is efficient. In the experiment carried out at USP, the stationary waves generated during feedback allow atoms to be imprisoned and placed in a structured way in the beam of light, which results in the phenomenon of reflection. The study was published in the scientific journal Nature Photonics, in December.
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